The Life of Charles Dickens

Read the following paragraph about 'A Christmas Carol':

"In London, Charles Dickens took walks late at night. He worked out the story in his head. The book was about a man named Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge hated Christmas and treated his workers badly. Scrooge was visited by the Ghosts of Christmas. He woke up on Christmas morning and was a much kinder man."

What question is answered by this paragraph?

• What made Ebenezer Scrooge hate Christmas?

• What happened in 'A Christmas Carol'?

• What were the other books Charles DIckens wrote?

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Read the section Scrooge's Story Is Still Popular Today. Which sentence explains a lesson from 'A Christmas Carol'?

• 'A Christmas Carol' was immediately a best-seller.

• It told people they should care about the poor.

• Plays and movies keep his story alive.

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Which event in the article happened FIRST?

• Charles Dickens visited the city of Manchester.

• Charles Dickens became a famous and popular writer.

• Charles Dickens read 'A Christmas Carol' to audiences.

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Why did Charles Dickens decide to write 'A Christmas Carol'?

• He wanted readers to get angry that people worked hard and were still very poor.

• He wanted to make a lot of money so he could give it all to people who were poor.

• He wanted to help make Christmas into a holiday where people gave a lot of gifts.

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Read the section A Christmas Carol Solves Dickens' Career Crisis.

Which detail from the section BEST supports the conclusion that Charles Dickens hoped 'A Christmas Carol' would save his career?

• In 1836, his first book ('The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club') came out and was immediately popular.

• Charles Dickens owed money to his publisher, and the book was not selling well.

• Charles Dickens desperately wanted to write something that would be popular with the public.

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Read the paragraphs from the section Scrooge's Story Is Still Popular Today:

'A Christmas Carol' has been in print continuously. Beginning in the 1940s, it began to be adapted for the stage. Charles Dickens himself read from his book to large audiences.

Charles Dickens died in 1870, but 'A Christmas Carol' has lived on. Plays, films, and television have kept the story of Scrooge alive.

Which conclusion can be drawn from these paragraphs?

• 'A Christmas Carol' became less popular with audiences after Charles Dickens died in 1870.

• 'A Christmas Carol' took a long time to become popular, but Charles Dickens knew it would succeed.

• 'A Christmas Carol' was popular right away and has continued to be popular ever since.

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According to the section Late-Night Walks Sprout Story Ideas, how did Dickens come up with the idea for 'A Christmas Carol'?

• Charles Dickens went to Manchester to give a speech about child workers. While he was out taking a walk, one of the children told him the idea for the story.

• Charles Dickens was thinking about child workers he had seen while he took a walk in Manchester. On later walks in London, he completed the story in his head.

• Charles Dickens went to Manchester to get peace and quiet so he could write a new story. After talking to his publisher in London, it took him six weeks to find the idea.

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What is the relationship between 'A Christmas Carol' and how Christmas is celebrated?

• 'A Christmas Carol' was based on small Christmas celebrations and getting people to think about themselves.

• 'A Christmas Carol' made Christmas into a major holiday when people start to think more about helping others.

• 'A Christmas Carol' made people stop thinking about celebrating with family and start thinking about working.

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Which section of the article highlights the idea that his successful career was slowing down before Charles Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol'?

• 'A Christmas Carol' Solves Dickens's Career Crisis

• Late-Night Walks Sprout Story Ideas

• Scrooge's Story Is Still Popular Today

Please read the following claim:

Charles Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol' in order to support the struggling working poor in Britain.

Which selection from the article provides the BEST evidence to support this claim?

• Dickens wanted the story to condemn greed strongly. It established the idea of Christmas charity toward the less fortunate.

• The working-class residents of Manchester affected Charles Dickens deeply. After his speech, he took a long walk.

• Dickens wanted the book to be available by Christmas, and he finished it in six weeks.

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